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There's a saying that "everything old is new again". The same could be said for Toronto's The First Time. Shortly after releasing their
debut disc "It's On" the band found themselves in a less than enviable position. From the outside looking in everything seemed to going full steam ahead for the band. The band had 2 top 5 hits in the
Netherlands. 2 songs had just been featured on Sportsnet & The X-treme Network. They were in the middle of an 18-week stay on Canadian campus charts. The First Time had just recorded an album with the
award-winning Producer Warne Livesey (Midnight Oil, Matthew Good, Jesus Jones) and they were about to embark on a 10-date tour of Japan. But things aren't always what they seem.
Having been together
in various incarnations for over 7 years, former lead vocalist Manfred Sittmann & bassist Mike Macmillan had decided it was time for a change and both left the band. This left guitarist James Whitton and
drummer Stacey Washington with some decisions of their own to make. They could decide to pack it in just as things were finally starting to fall into place or they could attempt to replace 2 of the founding
members of the band. They chose the latter.
You would think that replacing 2 key members of your band would be a daunting task but after a quick phone call to a former band mate of Stacey's everything
old WAS new again. Former Strawman vocalist, Ron McJannet was between gigs and looking to find the right fit. He had spent 3 years working on a project called "SKIN" with another former Strawman member, Bill
Borda. Ron put a call out to Bill to let him know that The First Time were looking for a bass player and in less then a week rehearsals began.
Without skipping a beat the new line up picked up where
the old one left off. They toured Japan and continued to develop a very strong and faithful fan base. They made a video that was put into high rotation in Japan. They won a 2005 Toronto Indie Award. They
released a 3 song EP entitled "SINGLE PURPOSE", featuring the new line up playing the band's first three radio singles. Great reviews of their lives shows with their exciting new line-up continue to roll in.
Now stronger than ever, THE FIRST TIME is set to start recording their next CD with Andy Curran (Coney Hatch, Soho 69) at the helm. THE FIRST TIME are definitely poised to continue to make their mark
on the Canadian and International music scene. |
